Z is for Zephyr
by sbyamibakura
Summary: Fandom: Not Equal. Pairing: Ryou/Konomi, set post manga, post extra chapters. Pt 26 of the Alphabet Chronicles. Pt 1 of Snapshots. Konomi smiles up at him, a large and easy smile that makes his heart skip a few dozen beats. The fact that they had gotten to the point where he could smile at Ryou so easily like that now...it meant everything to him. More than he could possibly say.


Z is for Zephyr

By: PhoenixJustice

Disclaimer: Not Equal is property of Ike Reibun; I only own this story and make no profit from it.

Warning: Rated T for incest, etc.

Pairing: Ryou/Konomi.

Setting: Post-manga, post extra chapters of the manga.

Summary: Konomi smiles up at him, a large and easy smile that makes his heart skip a few dozen beats. The fact that they had gotten to the point where he could smile at Ryou so easily like that now...it meant everything to him. More than he could possibly say.

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"Konomi?" His voice calls out, looking into the immediate living area but doesn't see him anywhere.

He shrugs off his coat and takes off his shoes, tossing his bag with a careless thump onto the sofa. He makes his way into the back, to their bedroom and pauses. His brows furrow as he listens in to the television before his face clears, pushing on the door loudly to get his lover's attention.

He smothers a laugh as Konomi all but jumps off the bed at the sudden noise, finally turning his head away from the television, blinking up at Ryou. The instinct, as it ever does, to embrace Konomi comes to him then, just looking at him there, hair slightly tousled (from what, he can only guess at), glasses doing nothing to diminish his beautiful, and young looking, face.

"I tried calling you," He says, amused, arm leaning slightly on the doorway. "Busy?"

Konomi flushes and nods. He gathers up a smattering of papers that had taken up residence on their bed. "I was looking over some papers for Nishino."

He pauses minutely. Nishino. He strides over and in two large steps, has his lover's face cupped in his hands, looking down at him. Konomi smiles up at him, a large and easy smile that makes his heart skip a few dozen beats. The fact that they had gotten to the point where he could smile at Ryou so easily like that now...it meant everything to him. More than he could possibly say.

"Welcome home." Konomi says warmly.

His breath catches and he smiles in return, already leaning down. "I'm home." He murmurs, before kissing him deeply. As always, he is caught up in Konomi and everything that he is. His eyes, his expressive face, his mouth. And as always, he is caught up in the emotion, the utter knowledge that he is allowed to have him. That Konomi is _his_.

As he pulls back to embrace Konomi he glances back at the television, humming softly in thought.

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He feels the weight of it in his coat pocket from the moment he places it in there. He hadn't much time to pick it up before work and it had been on his mind the whole day long, barely managing to pay any attention to the work that needed to be done. It's even worse when he gets off work and gets home, because Konomi isn't there, having to head to the gallery for Nishino and go over a few things.

He didn't _hate_ Nishino, not really; it was just that he was jealous that the man had been able to know Konomi for much longer than he. He knew that it wasn't something he could help-the time slip hadn't been something he could control. He would have stayed in the past in a heartbeat back then, if he had been able to. Still...knowing the Konomi of then and then Konomi of now he couldn't-other than the heartbreak it had caused his father-be unhappy for being able to know all sides of him, past and present.

He busies himself with cleaning up the apartment, getting dinner ready and generally fretting over the item in his pocket. He removes it, looking at it critically. Would Konomi like it? Would it...it wouldn't upset him, would it? All he wanted to do-all he had ever wanted to do, after traveling back into the past-was to make his father happy. No, his _lover_ happy. The fact that Konomi was his father was just something they couldn't change, couldn't help. But this? Them together? That was them making a conscious choice to choose love and to be happy.

He loved him more than words could say.

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He starts when he hears the door, fumbling with the item, putting it into his pants pocket before Konomi can see it. Eventually Konomi comes into view in the kitchen and his heart starts hammering into overtime. Konomi had obviously shaved off the slight hair that had grown on his face. He knew that he did it to appear more youthful to Ryou, despite the fact that he _always_ looked so, no matter the facial hair or not. Konomi appeared no older than Ryou.

It was like time had stopped for him, Konomi. Whether that was due to good genetics or something similar to the time slip that Ryou had gone through, the fact was that he looked like Ryou's _brother_ , not his father.

"Welcome home." He tells him with a smile.

Instantly Konomi smiles, slightly shy, with his cheeks reddening in obvious happiness and pleasure. "I'm home. I-" He pauses when he looks down at the table, brow raised. "Oh. You made dinner."

They somehow manage to get through dinner without Ryou giving anything away-though the anticipation is almost too much to bear now-, with Konomi talking about his day and some of the etchings he had been working on.

He thinks Konomi suspects something when they're putting away the food and dishes, as he looks at him with a serious look on his face.

"Is something wrong?" Konomi finally asks.

So he _had_ noticed. Immediately he shakes his head and instead of talking, grabs Konomi's hand. The contact has his stomach flushing with heat, as it always did and he smiles at Konomi's now blushing face.

"Ryou? Ah-" He drags him out of the kitchen and into their bedroom. He ignores the question in Konomi's gaze, instead directing him to sit on the edge of the bed. Konomi looks up at him and the enormity of the situation truly hits him then. What he was about to do.

"I love you." He chokes out.

Konomi's eyes widen and he instantly is grabbing at Ryou's arms, looking at him with a concerned look on his face.

"I love you too." Konomi says instantly. And that, as well as the grounding touch, helps to calm his nerves. To think they were at a point now that Konomi could so easily tell Ryou his feelings made everything they had been through to get to this point worth it. So completely worth it. He didn't care about others' opinions; he only cared that Konomi loved him, as he loved him in return.

He pulls back and Konomi lets go of his arms.

"Is everything alright?"

He nods, swallowing hard against the lump in his throat, before pulling out a small box out of his pocket. It was plain and black but the sight of it makes Konomi still completely, eyes widening.

"I know we can't ever do it legally and that's okay. I don't need legal papers to show how much I love you. You are my world, Konomi. And as long as you're happy, that's all I ever need."

He gets the box open after a few seconds of fumbling, showing off two gleaming gold rings. He gets down onto his knees and sets the box down on the bed, grabbing Konomi's hands, his eyes large and huge on his face.

"If you want it." He continues, hoarsely. "Anything you ever want, if it's in my power to give it to you."

Konomi's throat contracts and he sees the tears building in his eyes, the same tears in his own. He can feel his grip tighten on his hands.

"You saw." Konomi whispers. He nods. The television, the night before, had been talking about the complete legalization of gay marriage in Japan, a monumental event. And he wasn't lying to Konomi; although they couldn't ever do it legally, due to the bond of blood there, he saw this as binding as any legal marriage could ever be. "You...want it?"

"More than anything." He says, using a hand to stroke Konomi's face gently. "But only if you want it too."

Now the tears fall down Konomi's face, his head tilted down. "I...I want it too. I just never thought-" He shakes his head and starts when Ryou grabs his head, looking at him.

"I told you I'd never leave you alone again, Konomi. I meant it. I will _always_ mean it. Past, present, or future. And even after we die. I'll be reborn again and again just to find you, to see you happy."

He smiles a tremulous smile at him. "Marry me?"

Konomi smiles through his tears. "Yes."

He fumbles with the ring, getting it onto Konomi's finger with ease, it resting there as if it had been made to be there. He flushes when Konomi grabs the other rings, holding onto his hand.

"There's an engraving." Konomi comments, looking at Ryou's ring.

"It's on both of them. It..." He hesitates only momentarily. "It says 'Our happiness is equal.'"

Konomi smiles softly and puts the ring on Ryou's finger. They gleam together and he cannot describe the feeling of happiness within him in that moment. He clasps hands with his father, his lover, his _world_ and all he can do is smile.

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A/N: I can't believe there is no fics out there for this amazing, amazing, _amazing_ manga! Still, that's fine; I don't mind being apart of more firsts. ;D

I hope you enjoyed this!

Let me know what you thought! :D

-PhoenixJustice


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